From Union, 1991
This song's pretty short, so I'll try to keep this review short. Evensong, the penultimate song on Union, is a barebones track - but that's by design. It dates back to before the Union project - before ABWH's planned second album, even. The track, while it seems to be performed in a studio, was based on a drum-and-bass duet Tony Levin and Bill Bruford would do during the ABWH live shows - thus it features only those two. This makes it the only Yes song to be co-written by Tony Levin. Actually, hang on a moment. A recording based on a live improvisation featuring Tony Levin and Bill Bruford? Are we sure we're not listening to King Crimson here?
All joking aside, one would probably expect such a short song to be much lower on my list. Heck, it's one of Yes' shortest songs, being one of only two to clock in at less than a minute. But like its even shorter brother Five Per Cent For Nothing (which was also written by Bruford, go figure), I think it uses all the time it needs - and effectively, too. I wouldn't even say it needs all that much time to itself. It only has two instruments, after all! The chapman stick and the lofi, almost tribal electronic drum sounds combine very well in this case - and the way their rhythms reverberate off each other creates an incredibly cool effect.
Bill:
For those not in the know - and I wasn't for a while - the term Evensong refers to an evening prayer-song service held in some churches. I've listened to a few Evensong… songs, and they certainly fit the description the song Evensong provides. They're relaxing, comforting - and dare I say it, pastoral. Something I always try to applaud in a song is the ability to create a good atmosphere - and here, Mr. Levin and Mr. Bruford have done it with little more than an electronic drumkit and a stick. You wouldn't expect either of these instruments to be able to create the mood of a church, yet here they are. Bravo, rhythm section!
But really, the reason this song is up so high is because I've always seen it as an opening to Take The Water To The Mountain - which, as you'll notice, is a bit higher up on the list than Evensong. The first time I listened to the album, I didn't even notice the transition between the two - but indeed, they're two separate songs. Coupled with Holding On, which also transitions well into Evensong, this makes the finale of Union 3 songs long - a trick Yes would later pull off on Magnification. And a good thing they did - it's one of the most brilliant things I've seen in album composition! Who says the finale only has to be one song? They've made it two songs before with Mood For A Day and Heart Of The Sunrise, why not make it 3? Sadly, the effect was squandered a bit in the final edit, but… we'll get to THAT mess when we get to it.
And hey, who says a transitional track can't be considered good? Just because it's less than a minute long doesn't detract from its quality! I say this song is a solid addition to the Yes catalogue, and just as good as its brothers on Union… as long as you're listening to the full album. You could definitely put it on a playlist, but I wouldn't listen to it on its own is all I'm saying. Even(song) still, it's a good track - and definitely a good one to fall asleep to.
Yessources:
1. Yes Stories: Yes In Their Own Words, Tim Morse
I figured I’d get something up for the year anniversary of The Word Is Yes. 80 or so pages of Yes reviews isn’t so bad for a year, eh? Still, even if I didn’t get it all done in a year, I’m glad you all have continued to read my reviews for this long. Thank you.
This song's pretty short, so I'll try to keep this review short. Evensong, the penultimate song on Union, is a barebones track - but that's by design. It dates back to before the Union project - before ABWH's planned second album, even. The track, while it seems to be performed in a studio, was based on a drum-and-bass duet Tony Levin and Bill Bruford would do during the ABWH live shows - thus it features only those two. This makes it the only Yes song to be co-written by Tony Levin. Actually, hang on a moment. A recording based on a live improvisation featuring Tony Levin and Bill Bruford? Are we sure we're not listening to King Crimson here?
All joking aside, one would probably expect such a short song to be much lower on my list. Heck, it's one of Yes' shortest songs, being one of only two to clock in at less than a minute. But like its even shorter brother Five Per Cent For Nothing (which was also written by Bruford, go figure), I think it uses all the time it needs - and effectively, too. I wouldn't even say it needs all that much time to itself. It only has two instruments, after all! The chapman stick and the lofi, almost tribal electronic drum sounds combine very well in this case - and the way their rhythms reverberate off each other creates an incredibly cool effect.
Bill:
It was me and Tony, we put that song together. It was very loose. We had a duet on the ABWH tour and that was the middle section of the duet. He played something and I played something immediately and we called it "Evensong" and split the publishing. It didn't take long to do.
But really, the reason this song is up so high is because I've always seen it as an opening to Take The Water To The Mountain - which, as you'll notice, is a bit higher up on the list than Evensong. The first time I listened to the album, I didn't even notice the transition between the two - but indeed, they're two separate songs. Coupled with Holding On, which also transitions well into Evensong, this makes the finale of Union 3 songs long - a trick Yes would later pull off on Magnification. And a good thing they did - it's one of the most brilliant things I've seen in album composition! Who says the finale only has to be one song? They've made it two songs before with Mood For A Day and Heart Of The Sunrise, why not make it 3? Sadly, the effect was squandered a bit in the final edit, but… we'll get to THAT mess when we get to it.
And hey, who says a transitional track can't be considered good? Just because it's less than a minute long doesn't detract from its quality! I say this song is a solid addition to the Yes catalogue, and just as good as its brothers on Union… as long as you're listening to the full album. You could definitely put it on a playlist, but I wouldn't listen to it on its own is all I'm saying. Even(song) still, it's a good track - and definitely a good one to fall asleep to.
Yessources:
1. Yes Stories: Yes In Their Own Words, Tim Morse
I figured I’d get something up for the year anniversary of The Word Is Yes. 80 or so pages of Yes reviews isn’t so bad for a year, eh? Still, even if I didn’t get it all done in a year, I’m glad you all have continued to read my reviews for this long. Thank you.
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